Ether One

Ether One is a 2014 first-person adventure game developed and self-published by White Paper Games, a Manchester-based studio. The gameplay is set within a virtual world, where players assume the role of a "Restorer", tasked with reconstructing the memories of a dementia patient. As the studio's debut title, Ether One focuses on exploration, puzzle-solving, and narrative, featuring themes centered around mental illness and memory retrieval.

The game features a non-linear exploration style, allowing players to explore the harbour town of Pinwheel and its surroundings at their own pace. The primary goal is to collect red ribbons tied to objects to unlock "core memories". Players solve puzzles scattered throughout the game, which become increasingly complex and are designed to reflect the symptoms of dementia. These challenges are optional, enabling players to focus on the narrative if they prefer. The plot of Ether One revolves around the Restorer's mission to delve into the mind of Jean Thompson, a 69-year-old woman diagnosed with dementia. As the Restorer explores Jean's memories, they gradually uncover the history of the town of Pinwheel, Jean's personal life, and a tragic mining accident. As the story progresses, it is revealed that the Restorer is actually Thomas, Jean's husband, who is attempting to cure his own dementia. The game took approximately three years to complete and was influenced by games such as Dear Esther and Myst. The team went through numerous gameplay and narrative iterations before settling on the final version. They incorporated their own personal experiences with family members into the game's depiction of mental illness.

Ether One was originally released for Microsoft Windows on 25 March 2014. It received generally favourable reviews, with critics praising its atmospheric and immersive experience. However, the narrative and puzzle mechanics received mixed feedback, with some reviewers finding the story fragmented and the puzzles cumbersome. The game's depiction of dementia was noted for its realism. A PlayStation 4 version was released on 5 May 2015, which rebuilt the entire game in Unreal Engine 4, allowing for graphical enhancements and additional language support. These improvements were later brought to the Windows version in a free Redux update on 28 October 2015.